| ![Show Contents]() Rawdon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Rawdon surname is a habitational name, taken on from a place name in West Yorkshire. The place name comes from the Old Norse "rauðr" meaning "red," and "du-n," or "hill." Other records show the name translated as “a dweller in the rough valley.” 1 Today, Rawdon is a village in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Early Origins of the Rawdon familyThe surname Rawdon was first found in West Riding of Yorkshire where the village of Rawdon dates back to before the Domesday Book where it was listed as Roudun and was held be Robert de Bruis. 2 Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Rawdon. The name was derived from the Old Norse word rauthr + the Old English word dun and meant "red hill." 1 "Rawdon, in the parish of Guiseley in this county, is the original seat of this ancient family, which is traced to Thor de Rawdon, whose son Serlo lived in the reign of Stephen." 3 Early History of the Rawdon familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rawdon research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1582, 1604, 1610, 1662, 1668, 1669, 1684, 1695, 1720, 1750 and 1793 are included under the topic Early Rawdon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Rawdon Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Rawdon, Rawden, Rawdan, Rawdyn, Rawdin, Rowden, Rowdon and many more. Early Notables of the Rawdon familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was - Francis Rawdon (1582-c.1668), English noble from Rawdon, Yorkshire; and his son, Sir George Rawdon, 1st Baronet (1604-1684) at Rawdon, Yorkshire, England who moved to Moira, County Down
- Marmaduke Rawdon (1610-1669), was an English traveller and antiquary, descended from a younger branch of the ancient family of Rawdon, or Rawden, which was seated at a place of that name in the parish...
 Migration of the Rawdon family to Ireland
Some of the Rawdon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Rawdon migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4Rawdon Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Thomas Rawdon, who settled in Barbados in 1655
| Contemporary Notables of the name Rawdon (post 1700) | + |
- Herbert Rawdon (1904-1975), American aviation pioneer
- John Rawdon (1720-1793), 1st Earl of Moira known as Sir John Rawdon, Bt, between 1724 and 1750 and as The Lord Rawdon between 1750 and 1762, an Irish peer
- Elizabeth Rawdon (1731-1808), Countess of Moira in the Peerage of Ireland was a literary patron and antiquarian
- Francis Rawdon Chesney (1789-1872), British soldier and explorer who after emigrating to South Carolina in 1772, served under Lord Rawdon in the American War of Independence
- Lieutenant-General Harold Rawdon Briggs KCIE KBE CB DSO and two bars (1894-1952), British Indian Army officer during World War I and World War II
- Flight Sergeant Rawdon Hume Middleton (1916-1942), Australian aviator awarded the Victoria Cross during WWII 5
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- World War 2 Awards.com - MIDDLETON, Rawdon. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Rawdon Middleton. Retrieved from http://www.ww2awards.com/person/112
|
Rawdon migration to West Indies 
England
Ireland
